Player Profiles
Sean Murray
Name: Sean Murray
Position: Midfield
Club: KHC Leuven
School: Wallace High School
1st Cap: October 2015 against Argentina
Favourite sporting moment to date: Playing in the 2018 Hockey World cup in India
Age started playing hockey: 8
Who has had the most influence on your career: Family
Best advice you received from a coach: Enjoy the process.
Advice to young hockey players: Most importantly have fun, enjoy hockey and play as much as possible.
Instagram: @sean1murray
Twitter:@sean5597
Shane O’Donoghue
Name: Shane O’Donoghue
Position: Midfield
Club: Glenanne H.C.
School: The High School Dublin
1st Cap: April 2011 Vs Canada in UCD
Favourite sporting moment to date: Representing Ireland at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Age started playing hockey: 6
Who has had the most influence on your career: I am incredibly lucky to have a great support network who have been there in the high and low moments of my career. My Dad from a young age would have always pushed me to be the best I can in whatever I do.
Best advice you received from a coach: “Control the controllables”
Advice to young hockey players: Enjoy the journey you go on, enjoy the opportunities that sport offers and enjoy the moments that will become great memories
Instagram: @shane.od
Twitter: @shaneod16
Daragh Walsh
Name: Daragh Walsh
Position: Midfield
Club: KHC Leuven
School: Wesley College
1st Cap: June 2017 vs. Pakistan
Favourite sporting moment to date: Playing in the Hockey World Cup in India
Age started playing hockey: 9
Who has had the most influence on your career: Too many to name.
Best advice you received from a coach: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Advice to young hockey players: Watch as much international hockey as possible
Instagram:@Daraghwalsh
Twitter: @daraghjwalsh8
Johnny Mckee
Name: Johnny McKee
Position: Forward
Club: Banbridge
School: Banbridge Academy
1st Cap: October 2015 v Argentina
Favourite sporting moment to date: I have many sporting moments that I have enjoyed these include EHL round 1 with Banbridge HC at havelock park, winning WL2 and Hamburg masters with Ireland.
Age started playing hockey: Since I was a baby I had a hockey stick in my hand
Who has had the most influence on your career: Family
Best advice you received from a coach: Play with freedom
Advice to young hockey players: Always try and have fun in training and in matches
Instagram: @johnny_mckee15
Twitter: @johnnymckee_15
Michael Robson
Name: Michael Robson
Position: Midfield
School: Sullivan Upper School
Club: Annadale
1st Cap: January 2014 v Spain
Favourite sporting moment to date: European Bronze 2015
Age started playing hockey: 9
Who has had the most influence on your career: Parents
Best advice you received from a coach: Play with freedom
Advice to young hockey players: Work hard and enjoy playing
Instagram: @mrobson_22
Twitter: @mrobson22
Lee Cole
Name: Lee Cole
Position: Defender
School: St. Andrews College
Club: Monkstown HC
1st Cap: Feb 2015 vs France
Favourite sporting moment to date: Walking onto the field game 1 vs Australia at the World Cup
Age started playing hockey: 6
Who has had the most influence on your career: Graham Shaw
Best advice you received from a coach: Nail the simple things without fail
Advice to young hockey players: Play hard and leave it all on the pitch.
Instagram: @leecole29
Twitter : @leecole29
James Carr
Name: James Carr
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: KHC Leuven
School: St Andrews College
1st Cap: February 2015 v France
Favourite sporting moment to date: My first cap and see my goal of playing abroad professionally become reality!
Age started playing hockey: 15
Who has had the most influence on your career: My Dad
Best advice you received from a coach: Enjoy what you are doing! Simple advice but helped my see clearly and play without pressure!
Advice to young hockey players: Nobody cares about excuses, keep your head down and work hard!
Instagram: @jamescarr00
Twitter:@jamescarr00
Tim Cross
Name: Tim Cross
Position: Defender
Club: Annadale
School: Kew High School (Australia)
1st Cap: April 2015 v Canada (for Australia); July 2019 v Scotland (for Ireland)
Favourite sporting moment to date: My AFL team (the Magpies) winning the premiership in 2010.
Age started playing hockey: 4
Who has had the most influence on your career: My Grandpa and Jim Irvine
Best advice you received from a coach: Train the way you play
Advice to young hockey players: Make sure to always enjoy what you are doing, and work hard.
Instagram: @timcross04
Twitter: @TimCross04
Ben Walker
Name: Ben Walker
Position: Forward
School: St Andrews College
Club: Braxgata
1st Cap: February 2017 vs France in Malaga
Favourite sporting moment to date: Playing in European Championships and EHL
Age started playing hockey: 5
Who has had the most influence on your career: Teammates
Best advice you received from a coach: Trust your ability
Advice to young hockey players: Play to your strengths
Instagram: @benwalker71
Twitter: @benwalker_71
Jeremy Duncan
Name: Jeremy Duncan
Position: Midfield
School: Kilkenny College
Club: Monkstown HC
1st Cap: January 2014 against Spain
Favourite sporting moment to date: For me personally, beating New Zealand in Johannesburg to qualify for the 2019 World Cup. However, watching Tiger Woods win The 2019 Masters was probably the most memorable sporting moment I’ve witnessed.
Age started playing hockey: 4
Who has had the most influence on your career: My parents
Best advice you received from a coach: Have a go.. if it doesn’t come off work as hard as you can to win the ball back
Advice to young hockey players: Aim to be the hardest worker, nail your basics, have fun and express yourself
Instagram: @jeremyduncan20
Twitter: @Jezzebelle20
Luke Madeley
Name: Luke Madeley
Position: Centre-back
Club: KHC Leuven
School: Wesley College Dublin
1st Cap: June 2017 vs. Pakistan
Favourite sporting moment to date: 3 in a row EYHL Champions with Three Rock Rovers
Age started playing hockey: 4
Who has had the most influence on your career: Niall Denham
Best advice you received from a coach: Always threaten to play forward passes
Advice to young hockey players: Learn from every experience and don’t take playing for granted
Instagram:@lukemadeley1
Twitter: @luke_madeley
Kyle Marshall
Name: Kyle Marshall
Position: Defence
Club: Old Georgian’s
School: Markethill High school / Banbridge Academy
1st cap: August 2021 vs Poland
Favourite sporting moment to date: Winning the All Irelands with Banbridge Academy.
Age started playing hockey: 5
Who has had the most influence on your career: At a young age: Christine Russell
Best advice you received from a coach: Almost always move the ball with your first touch.
Advice to young hockey players: To keep hockey as fun as possible while being committed.
Instagram: @kyle_m10
Twitter:@kyle_m10
Kevin O’Dea
Name: Kevin O’Dea
Position: Midfield
Club: UCD
School: Ashton, Cork
1st cap: August 2021 v Poland
Favourite sporting moment to date: Winning U18 Interpros with Munster
Age started playing hockey: 9
Who has had the most influence on your career: David Hobbs
Best advice you received from a coach: Hockey is a simple game, don’t overcomplicate it
Advice to young hockey players: You’re never too good to practice basics
Instagram: @kevinodea5
Sam Hyland
Name: Sam Hyland
Position: Midfield
Club: YMCA hockey club
School: Wesley College
1st cap: October 2021 vs Malaysia
Favourite sporting moment to date: Promotion to EYHL with YMCA
Age started playing hockey: 6
Who has had the most influence on your career: Jason Klinkradt
Best advice you received from a coach: Do your best to control the controllables
Advice to young hockey players: Watch as much high-level hockey as possible
Instagram:@samhyland98
Conor Harte
Name: Conor Harte
Position: Centre Back
Club: KHC Dragons
School: Bandon Grammar School
1st Cap: August 2006 vs France
Favourite sporting moment to date: Winning All-Ireland Schools Title, Rio Olympics 2016 and World Cup 2018
Age started playing hockey: 12
Who has had the most influence on your career: Too many people to name
Best advice you received from a coach: Complete 9 out of 10 passes every day passes
Advice to young hockey players: Never underestimate what results hard work can yield
Instagram: @ConorHarte27
Twitter: @ConorHarte27
Peter McKibbin
Name: Peter McKibbin
Position: Defender
Club: Lisnagarvey
School: Regent House Grammar School
1st Cap: July 2019 vs Scotland
Favourite sporting moment to date: Getting my first Senior International cap or winning the IHL with Lisnagarvey.
Age started playing hockey: 11
Who has had the most influence on your career: Probably my teachers/coaches from school who first got me interested in playing hockey.
Best advice you received from a coach: Don’t worry about making mistakes, play with freedom.
Advice to young hockey players: Work hard, play and watch as much hockey as you can, but most importantly have fun.
Instagram: @peter_mckibbin
Twitter: @peter_mckibbin
Neal Glassey
Name: Neal Glassey
Position: Midfield
Club: Crefelder HTC.
School: Glengormley High School.
1st Cap: November 2014 vs France.
Favourite sporting moment to date: Beating New Zealand to qualify for the 2018 WC.
Age started playing hockey: 4
Who has had the most influence on your career: Craig Fulton.
Best advice you received from a coach: Trust in your ability and know that you’ve done all you can when it comes to the tournament.
Advice to young hockey players: Enjoy every step of the way and take every opportunity you can.
Instagram:@nealglassey
Twitter:@nealglassey
Mark McNellis
Name: Mark McNellis
Position: Defender
Club: Lisnagarvey HC
School: Wallace High School
1st cap: August 2021 vs Poland
Favourite sporting moment to date: Winning the Irish Senior Cup
Age started playing hockey: 8
Who has had the most influence on your career: Parents
Best advice you received from a coach: Back yourself, don’t worry what anyone else thinks
Advice to young hockey players: Make sure you can do the basics well!
Instagram: @markmcnellis
Conor Empey
Name: Conor Empey
Position: Midfield
Club: SCHC
School: The High School
1st cap: October 2021 v Malaysia
Favourite sporting moment to date: Reaching the Irish Senior Cup Final with UCD
Age started playing hockey: 6
Who has had the most influence on your career: My school coach Paul Fitzpatrick
Best advice you received from a coach: Practice what you’re good at, not only what you need to improve.
Advice to young hockey players: Work hard, watch top players closely and try to figure out what makes them the best
Instagram: @conorempey
Ben Nelson
Name: Ben Nelson
Position: Forward
Club: Lisnagarvey
School: Wallace High School
1st cap: August 2021 vs Poland
Favourite sporting moment to date: Irish Senior Cup Champions 2020
Age started playing hockey: 7
Who has had the most influence on your career: My older brothers Daniel and Matthew
Best advice you received from a coach: Train hard, win easy
Advice to young hockey players: Train hard, give your all but always remember to have fun
Instagram: @bnel_wyatt
Twitter:@ben_nelson2000
James Milliken
Name: James Milliken
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Lisnagarvey
School: Friends’ School Lisburn
1st cap: August 2021 vs Poland
Favourite sporting moment to date: Winning the Irish Senior Cup for the first time against UCD in September 2020
Age started playing hockey: 7
Who has had the most influence on your career: My goalkeeper coach Raymond Geddis (Geds)
Best advice you received from a coach: “Wait as long as you need to move – then wait one more second” Martijn Drijver
Advice to young hockey players: Don’t feel like you have to take the same path as anyone else to where you want to go
Instagram: @jamesmilliken21
Twitter:@jamesmilliken21
Ian Stewart
Name: Ian Stewart
Position: Attacker
Club: Corinthian
School: Wesley College
1st Cap: August 2021 vs Poland
Favourite sporting moment to date: Representing Ireland for the first time & Arsenal going a whole season unbeaten, COYG.
Age started playing hockey: 6
Who has had the most influence on your career: My family
Best advice you received from a coach: Never play with fear and don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Advice to young hockey players: If for whatever reason you don’t make a team. Trust the process and work hard as there is plenty of time to develop into being the type of player you aspire to be.
Instagram: @Ianstewart17
Twitter: @IanStewartNFL
Mark Ingram
Name: Mark Ingram
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Pembroke Wanderers
School: Oatlands College
1st Cap: November 2014 vs France
Favourite sporting moment to date: Getting my first cap
Age started playing hockey: 7
Instagram: @markingram93
Twitter: @markiggy93
David Fitzgerald
Name: David Fitzgerald
Position: Goalkeeper
School: St Andrew’s
Club: Monkstown HC
1st Cap: July 2010 v France in Cookstown
Favourite sporting moment to date: Qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics
Age started playing hockey: 8
Who has had the most influence on your career: Nigel Henderson
Best advice you received from a coach: Trust your abilities
Advice to young hockey players: Enjoy playing and learning the game
Instagram: @fitzygk32
Twitter: @dfitzy23
David Harte
Name: David Harte
Position: GK
Caps: 225
School: Bandon Grammar School
Club: SV Kampong (Holland)
1st Cap: August 2006 v France
Favourite sporting moment to date: Representing Ireland at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Age started playing hockey: 12
Who has had the most influence on your career: My family
Best advice you received from a coach: Never to become complacent
Advice to young hockey players: If you want something badly enough, don’t be afraid to go after it!
Instagram: @daveyharte
Twitter: @daveyharte
Sam O’Connor
Name: Sam O’Connor
Position: Sweeper
Club: Glenanne
School: St Benildus College
1st Cap: January 2017 vs France in Malaga
Favourite sporting moment to date: Winning the IHL with Glenanne in 2018
Age started playing hockey: 6 years old
Who has had the most influence on your career: My Dad, comes from a very experienced hockey background and helped me a lot through the years.
Best advice you received from a coach: Not every day will you be brilliant on the ball. But on those days if you concentrate hard on your defensive job, the attacking will then follow suit
Advice to young hockey players: Watch as much Top-level hockey as you can and learn from it!
Instagram: @Samoconnor25
Callum Robson
Name: Callum Robson
Position: Midfield
Club: Annadale
School: Sullivan Upper School
1st Cap: July 2018 vs Germany
Favourite sporting moment to date: Winning the McCullough Cup in my final year of school
Age started playing hockey: 6
Who has had the most influence on your career: There have been many coaches that have influenced my career over the past number of year. However, my primary school teachers, Mrs Harte and Mrs McCartney were the ones who first got me started playing hockey.
Best advice you received from a coach: Train the same way that you play in a match.
Advice to young hockey players: Don’t get disheartened if you aren’t picked for a certain team. Players develop at different rates, so keep working hard and do your best to get selected for the next time.
Instagram: @crobson7
Stuart Loughrey
Name: Stuart Loughrey
Position: Defence
School: St Andrews College
Club: Bath Bucaneers
1st Cap: April 2011 vs Canada
Favourite sporting moment to date: Qualifying for the World Cup and the World Cup opening game against Australia
Age they began playing at: 9
Who has had the most influence on your career: Coach – Paul Revington, on the pitch – Ronan Gormley
Best advice you received from a coach: Keep a scrapbook and write down your thoughts post-training and games. You will learn a lot about yourself over the years.
Advice to young hockey players: Surround yourself with positive and driven teammates that want to rewrite the history books
Instagram: @stuartloughrey
Twitter: @stuloughrey
John Jackson
Name: John Jackson
Position: Defender
School: Ballyclare High School / RBAI
Club: Bath Buccaneers, Mossley Hockey Club
1st Cap: July 2006 versus England
Favourite sporting moment to date: Representing Team Ireland at Rio 2016
Age started playing hockey: 4
Who has had the most influence on your career: Paul Revington, David Ralph and Mossley Hockey Club
Best advice you received from a coach: Accentuate the positives, eliminate the negatives, latch on to the affirmatives
Advice to young hockey players: Be relentlessly positive and positively relentless
Instagram:@johnhjackson3
Twitter: @JohnHJackson3
Stephen Cole
Name: Stephen Cole
Position: Midfield
School: St. Andrews College
Club: Monkstown, HC
1st Cap: July 2011 V Egypt
Favourite sporting moment to date: Lifting the IHL trophy alongside my three brothers
Age started playing hockey: 6
Who has had the most influence on your career: My parents
Best advice you received from a coach: Always believe you can add value
Advice to young hockey players: Work hard at mastering the basics, it’s makes everything else easier. Watch as much top-level hockey as possible and above all have fun along the way.
Instagram: @Stephendcole
Twitter: @stephendcole
Peter Caruth
Name: Peter Caruth
Position: Forward
School: Gilnahirk Primary (Cabin Hill & Campbell College)
Club: Corinthian Hockey Club
1st Cap: October 2008 vs Argentina
Favourite sporting moment to date: Scoring a ridiculous ‘squeeze’ shot and that tiny thing of competing and scoring in an Olympic games
Age started playing hockey: 4
Who has had the most influence on your career: My parents and the Smyth Family
Best advice you received from a coach: Trailer park girls go round the outside’
Advice to young hockey players: You may not make it when your young due to a number of reasons or coaches, but if you want it bad enough and you can play hard but with a smile and a laugh you’ll go a long way.
Instagram: @peteostrich13
Julian Dale
Name: Julian Dale
Position: Forward
Club: Pembroke Wanderers
School: Bandon Grammar School
1st Cap: December 2016 vs Spain
Favourite sporting moment to date: Playing in the 2018 Azlan Shah Cup
Age started playing hockey: 4
Who has had the most influence on your career: A lot of old school players from Cork Harlequins & CofI
Best advice you received from a coach: Have fun, it makes things easier
Advice to young hockey players: Have fun, it makes things easier
Instagram: @julesbbz
Twitter: @julesbbz
Troy Chambers
Name: Troy Chambers
Position: Forward
Club: Lisnagarvey Hockey Club
School: Cookstown High School and Wallace High School
Favourite sporting moment to date: Winning the EYHL men’s hockey league
Age started playing hockey: 11
Who has had the most influence on your career: My Dad
Best advice you received from a coach: Don’t think about a mistake and focus on your next play
Advice to young hockey players: Focus and practice basics, dream big and take every opportunity to get on the pitch
Instagram:@_troychambers
Twitter: @troychambers_
Jonny Lynch
Name: Jonny Lynch
Position: Midfield
Club: Lisnagarvey
School: Wallace high school
Favourite sporting moment to date: Winning IHL with Lisnagarvey hockey club
Age started playing hockey: 8
Who has had the most influence on your career: Irish international players
Best advice you received from a coach: Never give up
Advice to young hockey players: Stick at it and your chance will come
Instagram: @Jlynch_wyatt
Ben Johnson
Name: Ben Johnson
Position: Mid/Forward
Club: Three Rock Rovers
School: Newtown School Waterford
1st Cap: U16s vs Scotland in 2016
Favourite sporting moment to date: Winning the All Ireland Schoolboys Championship with my school team in 2018.
Age started playing hockey: 8
Who has had the most influence on your career: My Parents
Best advice you received from a coach: To be diligent and enjoy your time on the pitch but also enjoy the off-time as well.
Advice to young hockey players: To be patient and when there is an opportunity to take your game to the next level, take it.
Instagram: @ben.j_j
Twitter:@Benjnson